With formal proposals for “reinventing Playland for the 21st century” due March 10, County Executive Robert P. Astorino last week detailed the framework that his administration will use to evaluate the submissions the county receives.
As part of the process, he named members to a citizens committee that will assess the feasibility of proposals. Members of the citizens committee are listed in the Playland RFP: Reinventing the Park for the 21st Century PowerPoint presentation.
Astorino said the county was now at the second stage of a four-phase process – ideas, feasibility, setting direction and implementation – that will play out over the next several years. Establishing a framework for guiding decisions, he said, was critical to keeping the process on track.
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“The outcome we are all looking for is creating a future for Playland that puts the park to its best use for years to come for Westchester County residents,” said Astorino. “The framework is designed to accomplish that by establishing a process that is rigorous, objective, open and respectful of all stakeholders.”
The formal, detailed submissions for the use of the Long Island Sound property in the City of Rye were solicited through an RFP (request for proposals) and are due March 10. A feasibility assessment will immediately follow, with each proposal evaluated against what are being called the “5 E’s.”
Economics – Does the proposal offer a financially viable long-term business model? While the county does not expect to make a profit at the park, the current fiscal situation cannot continue.
Environment – Is the proposal appropriate to local surroundings, area zoning and the environment?
Entertainment – Is the proposal consistent with the purpose of a park?
Experience – Can the county feel confident about the proposer’s track record with respect to finances, customer service, safety and deadlines?
Expectations – Is the proposal realistic?
To evaluate proposals using the feasibility guidelines, Astorino has appointed a 19-member citizen committee made up of representatives from the city and town of Rye, the county Board of Legislators, business, and real estate, as well environmentalists, park experts and park users. The names of the committee members are listed at the bottom of the page. 
“The breadth of stakeholders on the committee will ensure that a broad range of perspectives are part of our feasibility study,” said Jim Chisolm, chairman of the county’s Parks Board, who has been named chairman of the citizens group. “I am excited to be part of this important effort to keep Playland viable for years to come.”
The committee will be responsible for submitting a written report on the feasibility of the proposals that come into the county as part of the RFP. The expectation is that the committee would have its report completed by the end of June, however, this is not a hard deadline should the committee need more time. Assisting the committee will be William Mooney, senior assistant to the county executive, and Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of the Parks department, who will make county resources available as necessary. This could include expertise from the Planning, Law, Budget and other departments. Space will be provided in the County Center for the committee’s meetings.
Once completed, findings from the feasibility study will be incorporated into the RFP selection process. The hope is that the county executive would have enough information to set a direction for moving forward, or not, on the RFP’s by the end of November. The implementation phase, which would include contract negotiations and obtaining all the necessary legal, financial, environmental, local and other approvals, would follow, assuming a decision had been made to move forward on a proposal or combination of proposals. It’s estimated that the implementation phase would take several years to complete.
“This will be a very deliberative process, as it should be,” said Astorino. “We want to make the right decision for Westchester residents.”
This year, Playland will open for the season in May, operating in a similar manner to last season. Visit www.ryeplayland.org for opening day information.
Since 1928, the focal point of the property has been the amusement park, which today has 50 major rides and attractions and covers about 30 acres. The prototype of today’s modern theme parks, Playland was the country’s first totally planned amusement park. Seven of its rides and several of its art deco buildings are designated as National Historic Landmarks.
Westchester County currently owns and operates the park – one of only a handful of governmental bodies to be in the amusement park business. With attendance steadily dropping over the past five years – from one million in 2005 to 494,000 in 2010 – park ownership has translated into greater taxpayer subsidies.
The losses are about $4 million annually, including both operating losses and debt.
The RFP covers approximately 100 acres of the larger 280-acre Playland property. A critical feature is that its focus goes beyond the historic amusement park. Scenic vistas and a beautiful beach on Long Island Sound, an Olympic-size swimming pool, an extensive waterfront boardwalk, fishing piers, boating lake, dining and picnic areas, a proposed children’s museum, and an indoor ice skating rink, as well as the amusement park, can all be utilized, or not, in the plans submitted by developers.
Under the RFP process, the county is not obligated to accept any of the plans proposed.
Members of the Playland Citizens Committee:
Rye
- Doug French, Mayor of Rye City
- Joe Carvin, Rye Town Supervisor
- Charles Dorn, Chairman of the Playland Strategic Planning Committee for Rye
Board of Legislators
- Bill Ryan, Chairman of Public Works, Labor, Transportation and Parks
- Judy Myers, Legislator
- Sheila Marcotte, Legislator
Parks Community
- Jim Chisholm, Parks Board Chairman who will chair the Citizens Committee
- David Swope, Chairman of Jacob Burns Film Center; Teatown Reservation Trustee
- Liz Bracken-Thompson, Chairman of Friends of Parks
Business Community
- Richard French, President of Regional News Network; Representative from Westchester County Association
- Ellen Lynch, President and CEO of Yonkers IDA; Representative from the Business Council of Westchester
- John Peckham, President of Peckham Industries; Arts Westchester, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Business/Amusement/Entertainment
- Scott Bernstein, former Amusement/Entertainment Executive, Bedford resident
- Jim Dannhauser, former Six Flags CFO, Bronxville resident
- Natasha Caputo, Entertainment/Tourism Consultant, Mt. Kisco resident
Business/Real Estate
- Jim Houlihan, Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, LLC; former Board Member of Friends of Parks
Other
- Caleb Gilligan-Evans, Junior at Stepinac High School, Yonkers resident
- Father Richard Alejunas, S.D.B., Chairman of the Westchester Youth Advisory Board, Don Bosco Community Center of Port Chester
Law
- Evan Inlaw, Attorney, Yonkers resident